November 2007

November 29, 2007

It must be the time of the year, as now the electricians have also disappeared, though this may have something to do with a new arrival!

So there's not too much to report on this week and you'd be forgiven for thinking we were back at Week 1 (looking at the state of the wet, muddy site after the recent rainfall!), that is, if it wasn't for the house in the photos!!

The tiling continues and the fitting out of the 2 walk-in wardrobes is now underway.

Fungi Update:
Last week's photos of fungi have now been identified - to the best of my knowledge!!
One was the Honey Fungus, a widespread and common woodland fungus found on tree stumps in the Autumn. They have brown domed caps, which expand and flatten with age, which means our ones are definitely adults!
The other one is the strangely named Many-Zoned Polypore, which is an extremely common bracket fungus (why don't I ever find rare exhibits?) growing in tiers on dead stumps and fallen branches of deciduous trees, all year round.

New Friends Update:
Just to let you know my new friends in Week 39 were Benson and Jack, Benson being the smaller of the two, of course!

November 23, 2007

Well internally everything appears to be grinding to a halt, with the exception of the tiling and the numerous carpentry 'finishing' jobs - ie the boxing in of pipework etc.

Upi and team have been off site since Week 40, as we are still awaiting the stairs, etc from Finland and because of delays the plumbers have also been off site since Week 41 and right now Paul, our head plumber, is basking in sunny Oz for a month, so I can't imagine he's fretting over our lack of water to make a cuppa on a cold frosty morning here! The electricians have been in though, and this week has seen a few more light fittings up and running, very useful now that these dark afternoons seem to have arrived all of a sudden!

The exterior has had a makeover - well just a mini one to start with!
The blue/grey engineering bricks have arrived for closing in the area beneath the decking, though this is not current priority.
The 'garden' is however, and has been cleared of site debris to enable the diggers to shape and level the ground in readiness for the carstone sub-base. The entire site now looks like a freshly ploughed field and the pink wellies are coming in very useful!

But hey, surprise of the week..........we are having a pond excavated!!!
Yes I know you're saying haven't we got enough water, but it will serve a very good purpose, partially acting as a natural soak-a-way and best of all I'll be able to start nurturing some very special pondlife - frogs (Sis take note, a temporary home perhaps?!), newts, dragonflies, etc, etc!

Oh and before I forget....... lots of noisy,wading visitors to the little island and some more interesting fungi - on logs this time - but my little book is back on the boat so you'll get an identification next week!

November 14, 2007

They were definitely spotted this week but appeared to be in hiding!
However, on closer examination Paul was making an excellent job of minimizing the pipes around the boiler and Lindsay was attending to the pipework below the decking, definitely not a job for the claustrophobic!

Short on time this week so will update you on the rest when I can!
Meanwhile this week's album will update you in pictures!

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Now I have the time, there's not a lot more to add, except to say, as you can see from this week's photos, the tiled areas just keep growing! And I've included a shot of the open-plan interior just to show you that completion is still a little way off yet!

And my nature notes for the week were the amazing aerial displays from the huge flocks of birds noisily swooping down low and resting hidden in the reeds at the edge of the lake before taking to the air again! Not quite as spectacular as those on Bill Oddie's Autumnwatch but impressive all the same! My pics don't do them justice and unfortunately I wasn't able to identify them either, but they definitely weren't starlings!

November 08, 2007

Another busy week for all and sorry but I couldn't resist posting this rare pic of a kitchen fitter making his own tea!!! You know who you are.....and you also know I'm only jesting!

Well there was much excitement as the kitchen fitters returned to complete the kitchen and utility rooms. Or so we thought! Again component parts were found to be missing and so another visit will have to be scheduled.
However, luckily, with a nip and a tuck here and there, the worktop fitters arrived in the afternoon and were able to fit the black diamond quartz worktops! It will be good to show the finished pics but for the time being it's very much 'work in progress' shots, complete with the dust particles from the router picked up by the camera!

The baltic granite hearth for the new fire is seen lying in its raw state at the stonemason's in this weeks album. Cut, shaped and polished it is now in place in the corner of the lounge awaiting the installation of the fire. It is a lovely natural blend of brown and black and should look good with the matt black fire and all the surrounding wood!

The floor tiling continues and the grouting gets underway. The basin is put in place in the master ensuite and also the towel rail too. Yes I know it's not very practical but I just loved the vertical design!

The exterior ballustrading has had 2 coats of Sikkens and the stairs are also being constructed at the front and sides.

Some months back I posted a pic of a lovely horse in the field opposite and said I'd try and find out his name. Well I have, and his name is Monty! He's 4 years old, loves having lots of attention and is exercised and looked after by best friend Hayley.

You may observe them having their lunch in their van, Monday to Friday, regardless of the time of day!
And time and motion inspectors have confirmed that they have witnessed plenty of time but very little motion!

Only joking Paul and Lindsay(aka Vince), you know we love you really and you're doing a great job (though do stick to the day job as photography's definitely not your forte!) !!!